Shadows and Secrets
by palmedfire
Summary: Someone is attacking random civilians while dressed in sailor fuku. Is this a new enemy? And does she have any connection to the new transfer student at Juuban?
1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note: **This, like much of my fic, comes from an idea that popped into my head and wouldn't let go. It's been mulling around in my head for a while now, so I finally started writing it down. It's still a bit rough and is in need of a good beta read, but I thought I'd put it up anyway while it's in progress. I hope you enjoy

A few other notes – I use Japanese name order, family name then given name.

This story also contains OC senshi. If you have a problem with that, I'm not forcing you to read.

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Sailor Moon or any of it's associated characters. Though it would be cool if I did.

* * *

Minako woke up suddenly to the sensation of sharp cat claws digging into her shoulder.

"Artemis!" she yelled, practically throwing the white cat off her.

The white cat looked up from where he was carefully grooming his paw. "You slept through your alarm. You don't want to be late for school." He returned to licking his fur before adding "Again"

Minako twisted to look at the clock, which, sure enough was showing a far later time than it should. She threw the covers off the bed and began her normal morning whirlwind of getting ready. Artemis wisely hid under the bed until Minako rushed out the bedroom door in a flurry of clothing and hair. Then he trotted after her into the kitchen at a safe distance.

In the kitchen, Minako shoved a couple of pieces of bread in the toaster, muttering a good morning to her father who was reading the paper as he ate his breakfast. The toast popped, and she carried it to her place at the table, snagging the front section of the newspaper as she passed by. Even waking up late, she should just have enough time to skim the headlines before rushing out to school. It was so nice to be able to look at the paper and not worry if there was something she'd have to deal with as Sailor Venus. It had been months since Galaxia had been defeated, and it was great to just be a normal high school student. If she didn't have to henshin again until the 30th century, Minako would be a very happy girl.

Which is why she nearly choked on her toast when she flipped the paper open. There, in the large bold letters of the main headline read "Sailor Senshi Gone Bad?" with a large photo of someone in silhouette who was dressed in something way too close to sailor fuku for Minako's comfort. The silhouetted figure was standing on the top of a building, and there was the crumpled figure at her feet. Breakfast forgotten, Minako turned her attention to the article. Apparently, this mysterious figure had attacked several people over the last few days. None had died, but the media had picked up on the costume similarities between this stranger's and those of the senshi. According to the report, the stranger had also used 'strange, almost magical' powers to attack people, seemingly at random. Minako grimaced. Another sailor senshi was the last thing she wanted to have to deal with. Hadn't they all done enough? Didn't they deserve a break?

"Minako, dear, shouldn't you be going?" her mother asked, cutting through Minako's frustration. She looked up at the clock and gasped at the time.

"Mom! I'm gonna be late!" she said, jumping up and grabbing the bento her mother was handing her. She shoved the newspaper under her arm as she ran out the door, slowing only enough to grab up her school bag by the door. Artemis ran alongside her as she tore out the door and down the street. Minako filled him in on what the article had said as they ran, and a few blocks from the school he peeled off and raced away to research while she was tied up at school.

She must have been extra motivated, because she dashed into the classroom several minutes before the bell rang instead of right before. While her teacher would be proud, it meant that she had to fidget nervously for several minutes, waiting for Usagi to rush in. It didn't help that some of the other students were discussing the article as well which added to Minako's distress. The moment Usagi crossed the doorway, mere moments before the final bell rang, Minako grabbed her and practically dragged the other girl to her desk.

"Look at this!" she said, shoving the paper in front of Usagi who still looked half-asleep.

"Mhmm?" Usagi mumbled, as she tried to focus on the words in front of her. Minako shifted impatiently, waiting for Usagi's to finish skimming the article.

"This todays?" Usagi hissed, trying not to draw the notice of their teacher who'd just walked in. Minako nodded.

"This morning. Everyone's talking about it."

Usagi let out a frustrated sigh and dropped her head onto her desk. Minako did the same, paying even less attention than normal to the lecture the teacher had launched into. Did it really matter if they knew the geography of western Europe? They'd saved the world how many times now? And now there was some crazy person masquerading as a senshi, and of course it would fall to them to unmask who it was and deal with the fallout.

"We need a meeting after school" Minako whispered. "To deal with this"

Usagi nodded "At the shrine."

"I'll call Rei at lunch. She eats the same time we do"

"Aino-san, since you obviously know enough to waste time chatting, please come up to the board and label the map." Minako let out another sigh and trudged up to the frontof the classroom at the teacher's orders. This was not going to be a good day at all.

* * *

Hisoka stood at the front of the classroom, watching her new classmates as the teacher introduced her as 'Chisuu Hisoka, our new transfer student'. She laughed silently, wondering if anyone would even suspect that nearly everything in her background was a lie. Well, she was a transfer student, and Hisoka was her given name, but everything else the teacher was saying had been made up to give her a solid background on this world. It was too bad she still had to go back to school, something she thought she'd been done with years ago. But her best intelligence said that this world's senshi were still students at this school, and enrolling was the quickest way to find them. Hopefully she'd be able to find them quickly, get their permission to continue her hunt, and ditch the student cover as soon as possible.

"I hope you all will make Chisuu-san as welcome as possible" the teacher was saying, and Hisoka gave a polite bow to the class, still trying to figure out if any of these students might be the ones she was looking for. "Please, if you would take a seat?"

Hisoka carefully made her way up one of the aisles to an empty desk near the back of the room. She slipped into the seat, offering a polite smile to the students on either side of her. The brown haired girl on her left ignored her, but the blond young man on her right retuned the smile and gave her a wink. She pretended to be slightly embarrassed, and shuffled her notebooks and papers around, watching him out of the corner of her eye. There was something different about him. Something that sparked her interest, which wasn't easy. Maybe he held an interesting secret. She shook herself slightly. No. She needed to focus on the task at hand. She'd tracked Turog across three solar systems and countless uninhabited reaches of space. There was no way she was going to let her get away.

School was just as boring as she'd remembered. Teachers seemed to be the same everywhere, just drones, going on and on about whatever subject they were supposed to cover without ever mentioning any of the really interesting stuff. Granted, this planet's history and such were new to her, but when presented in such a dry, boring manner, even her inherent love of knowing things couldn't keep her interest. Instead she passed the morning skimming over the textbooks, which seemed to be just as dry as the teachers, and sketching in the margins of her notebook.

"That's really good" someone said, in the general hubbub of everyone leaving for lunch.

Hisoka looked up in surprise to see the blond looking over at the sketch she'd been working on. While she never considered herself a great artist, she enjoyed designing jewelry, and she was putting the finishing touches on a ring design she'd been thinking about.

"I just sketch," she said with a diffident shrug. "It's nothing special, I just like jewelry design" Internally she preened a little. Even she wasn't immune to compliments.

"Pretty jewelry for a pretty young woman" the blond said "Did you design your necklace too?"

Hisoka's hand flew up to the gray-jeweled pendant at her throat. "Ah, no" she said, running a finger over the stone, feeling the indentations of the engraving. "It's a… a traditional design. A family heirloom"

The blond shrugged and offered his hand. "I'm Ten'noh Haruka by the way."

Hisoka took the offered hand, intending to shake it, but as their hands met, she felt a brief flash of premonition. There was a sudden gust of wind out of nowhere that ruffled both of their hair. She narrowed her eyes slightly, and pulled her hand away. Instead she offered a more formal bow. "Chisuu Hisoka. Please forgive me, I… ah, I believe there is some paperwork I need to finish in the office" With that she grabbed her lunch and fled the room.

Normally gym class was one of the few things Haruka actually enjoyed at school. And if she was honest, she'd been intensely amused at the new girl's shock at seeing her in the girls' locker room. But today, they were playing tennis. There were very few sports that Haruka didn't at least appreciate, but tennis was one of them. There just didn't seem to be much point to it. Still, she was decent, if only because it wasn't in her nature to be anything less than competitive in everything she did.

"Ten'ou-san, Chisuu-san, you'll be on court four" the teacher said, indicating the court. Haruka sighed, as she noticed the new girl's eyes go wide at the teacher's words. Fool girl was probably still embarrassed that she'd flirted with another girl. She was strange. And when their hands had touched for that brief second, Haruka had gotten the strangest feeling, like when she'd first met the Three Lights, though instead of the feeling of stars, she'd smelled acacia flowers.

"Sorry about earlier" the girl said awkwardly as they headed toward the court.

Haruka shrugged, watching the shorter girl as they walked. There wasn't much to say. She'd never been good at small talk. Since the other girl seemed content to walk in silence, Haruka was happy to oblige.

They volleyed the ball back and forth several times once they reached the court. Haruka was happy to notice that while the other girl seemed to be at least decent, she seemed just as casual about the whole game as Haruka was. They played in silence for most of the period, which actually unnerved her slightly. Even the serious players in class tended to chat a little bit, if only when retrieving the ball or taking a break. This girl was just silent, letting out only the basic grunts and gasps of exertion. And she kept giving Haruka these looks that were far too calculating for the blonde's peace of mind. Was this girl some new enemy? She'd seen the front page of the paper this morning, and had been told about the meeting called at the shrine after school. The last thing Haruka wanted to do was take up the role of a warrior again. She would, of course, with no complaint, if there was need, but she hoped that wouldn't be the case.

Wrapped up in her own thoughts, it took Haruka longer than normal to notice that the other girl hadn't returned her last shot. Then she realized the girl was rigid, eyes wide. Then, she collapsed. Haruka dropped her racket and vaulted the net.

"Are you okay?" she asked. She crouched down and placed a hand carefully on the girl's shoulder. This time the scent of acacia was stronger.

"She's here!" the girl gasped. She clutched at her neck "My necklace, I need my necklace"

Haruka remembered how reluctant the girl had been to remove it when they changed. She glanced around sharply. The gym teacher was on his way over. "You've twisted your ankle" she hissed

"What? No!" the other girl said, giving Haruka a sharp look.

"Yes, you have" Haruka said, a bit more forcefully than she'd intended. The teacher was almost there. She willed the other girl to realize what she was suggesting, and was rewarded by a flash of understanding in the other girl's eyes. Haruka stood up to let the teacher tend to the girl.

"I… I think I've twisted my ankle" the girl said in a pitiful tone of voice that made Haruka smother a laugh. She was doing a perfect imitation of some of the weepier girls in class. The teacher seemed to buy it, since he sighed and stood.

"Ten'ou-san, can you help her get changed and to the nurse's office? Class is almost over anyway."

Haruka nodded and helped the other girl up. "Which leg?" she whispered.

"Right" the girl hissed back, so Haruka shifted so she could take the girl's weight off the right side. They made their way back to the locker room as quickly as possible without giving away the lie. The moment they were inside the girl pushed away and dashed over to her locker, fumbling with the combination lock. Finally she got it open, and began yanking her clothes out. "It's not here!" she said, going through the pile of clothing a second and third time.

"Looking for this?"

Both girls spun around at the new voice, and Haruka noticed that Hisoka had stiffened. In the doorway leaned a very odd looking young woman. Her dark red hair was pulled into uneven pigtails on either side of her face, and she wore a very strange outfit that bore no small resemblance to a sailor fuku of some sort. There was a dark red sailor collar over a white leotard, but instead of a short skirt she had twin dark gray belts crossing at her waist, and an open sort of translucent dark red skirt that came out from the belts. A large dark gray bow adorned the small of her back. She was dangling Hisoka's necklace from one hand, a smug expression on her face. While Haruka couldn't quite put her finger on it, there was something very wrong about this girl, something that made her wish her henshin wand wasn't tucked away in her locker.

"Drop it Turog" Hisoka said, her voice darker than Haruka had heard her use before. "Drop it and get out. I don't want to fight you here."

"Ah, why not secret-keeper? Perhaps because you know you can't without this?" she began twirling the necklace. Haruka backed away slowly, trying to reach her locker without either of the other girls noticing. She wasn't sure what was going on yet, but she had a feeling it was about to get worse.

"Drop it Turog" Hisoka said again, this time with a sharp sideways glance at Haruka.

The newcomer just laughed, an unsettling sound that chilled Haruka to the bone. "Worried about the civvies? How sweet. Rage Talons!" She drew her hand across her chest, fingers fanned out, with dully glowing red energy gathering around them. Her arm snapped out towards Haruka, and before the blonde could leap out of the way she was hit by a barrage of burning hot bolts that threw her up and into the wall. She slipped down the wall, and onto the floor, gasping for breath. The bolts had torn several large rents in her gym uniform, and she could feel blood running down one leg.

"Don't move" her attacker said, with a sneer. "I pulled my power that time." She said before turning her attention back to Hisoka. "Your move Ruatma."

Haruka groaned in pain, and tried to figure out if it was worth trying to make a break for her locker. This was the last time she was going anywhere without her henshin wand. She'd shove it in her bra if she had to. She shifted slightly and gasped as a new wave of pain ripped through her. The blast had taken more out of her than she'd thought. And that was holding back? Haruka moved slowly, hoping to avoid notice, just enough to shift her leg so she could see the injury. Fortunately neither of the other girls seemed to notice, and the injury seemed to be minor, even if it was bleeding far more profusely than Haruka would like.

"Why are you doing this" Hisoka said. From her position against the wall, Haruka could just see Hisoka between two rows of lockers. She didn't know what relation Hisoka had to this strange enemy, but it didn't seem friendly. Not with how they had been talking, not with how Hisoka's hands were clenched into fists at her side.

"Because I can" the stranger replied, with a nasty smile. "Because I enjoy watching you squirm. Without this" she swung the necklace again "You can't hope to fight me. I can take my time destroying you"

A not entirely human sounding snarl came from Hisoka, and Haruka flinched reflexively. Again she tried to shift closer to her locker, but didn't make it far.

"Ruatma Shard Power, Make Up!"

Haruka looked at Hisoka in shock as, without any recognizable henshin object, the girl was enveloped in twin ribbons of soft gray fog. When the fog cleared she was dressed in an outfit similar to the other girls, but in blue and gray instead of red and gray. Haruka choked back an exclamation. She could rationalize one strange outfit as just poor taste, but having seen the henshin, she couldn't deny that these were indeed new sailor senshi. Turog looked as surprised as Haruka felt, but her expression quickly morphed into a mocking smile.

"Well this makes it interesting. How long do you think you can hold that, Sailor Ruatma?"

"As long as I have to"

Haruka had to admire Sailor Ruatma's obvious strength of will, but she could see the strain in the other girl's body. Every muscle was rigid with effort, and her face was a mask of iron concentration.

Sailor Ruatma crossed her arms over her chest, fists closed. The she snapped them out to her sides as subtle sparks began gather over her forearms. "Ruatma Shadow Lash!" she said, bringing her arms up and together straight out in front of her. A whip-like tendril of fog colored energy lanced out to strike Turog across the chest.

The attack sent her to her knees. "This isn't fun any more" she said, her face a mask of pain and rage. "I will destroy you!" she spat before disappearing in a cloud of rotting flower petals. The sticky-sweet smell of decaying wisteria filled the locker room, making Haruka's gorge rise. Who was that? Before she had a chance to wonder anymore, Sailor Ruatma collapsed, her transformation dissolving, leaving Hisoka crumpled on the floor in her gym uniform. Haruka rose slowly, favoring her injured leg. Other than the leg cut she seemed to just have mostly bumps and bruises. She was still going to ache for days, but she'd heal. It didn't take long to limp over to her locker and retrieve her clothing. Keeping a careful eye on the unconscious Hisoka, Haruka changed back into her school uniform, checking that her henshin wand was still in her pants pocket. Then she grabbed Hisoka's clothes and shoved them in the other girl's bag. She couldn't just leave her passed out in the locker room, not when she'd supposed to be taking her to the nurse. Which was were they both should go now anyway. With a muffled grunt, Haruka lifted the smaller girl, and headed out of the locker room.


	2. Beginning to Reveal

Author's Note: Welcome to Chapter 2

**Author's Note: **Welcome to Chapter 2! These chapters are being divvied up as one chapterone cycle of POVs. As you may have noticed I'm using three points of view in this story, which is more than I usually play with. I hope it's working. Let me know what you think. This chapter also included two huge group scenes, which I'm also not used to writing. I think things came out okay, but feh, I hate dealing with this many characters! Ah well. The last scene here is a bit fluffy, I know, but I wanted a little scene after the two biggies. Please, constructive criticism is always welcome!

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Sailor Moon or any of it's associated characters. I just write for fun.

The evening sun washed Hikawa shrine a bright orange red, casting strong shadows across the five girls sitting on the porch.

"I don't wanna fight anymore" Usagi said, a hint of a whine in her voice.

"We might not have a choice." Makoto pointed out, gesturing at the crumpled figure in the picture. "If someone's going around attacking people dressed as a senshi, we have to figure out what is going on."

Minako nodded. As much as she'd hoped they could put everything behind them, they had to at least investigate this. "Maybe we won't have to fight anyone," she said, putting on a smile for Usagi's benefit. She looked around at the other girls. "This could be just some normal troublemaker, right?" There were nods of agreement from the other girls, but Rei had a worried look on her face.

"I don't know" the priestess said slowly, not quite looking at anyone. "About a week ago I felt a brief wave of evil energy, but it passed, so I didn't want to say anything."

"A week ago?" Ami asked, looking up from her notebook. "Was it about the time there was that freak meteor shower? The one that sent the science community into a uproar?"

Rei nodded. "Now that you mention it, yes. I was watching the shooting stars, when there was a really bright one…"

"Shooting stars?" Usagi asked, perking up slightly. "Like the Starlights?"

Rei shook her head. "I don't think so."

Usagi's face fell, and Minako sat down next to her. "Cheer up Usagi. It's probably just coincidence. Nothing that can't be cleared up with a little quick investigation, right guys?" She looked around at the others. None of them looked convinced, but Usagi perked a bit, so no one said anything.

"Well, what do we know?" Ami said, ever practical.

Minako spread the paper, now much abused from being carried around all day, out where they all could see. "Just was the article says and the picture. Someone wearing something like seifuku has attacked random people over the past few days." She looked at the picture critically. The silhouetted figure's costume didn't look quite right in places, and parts seemed darker than others. Then again, the picture had been taken in haste, so maybe it was just bad lighting. Still, she couldn't quite suppress a shudder when she looked at it. Something wasn't right about it, something she couldn't quite put her finger on.

Ami leaned over her shoulder to get a better look. "Well, the first place to start would be where this picture was taken. Isn't that near the café?"

Usagi peered at the picture. "Yes, and that's were Mamo-chan took me for ice cream Tuesday. We should go right now!" she said, jumping up.

"Wait" said a familiar voice. Everyone looked towards the shrine entrance.

"Haruka-san, Michiru-san, Setsuna-san!" everyone cried, as the three older girls climbed the last few steps to the shrine

"Where's Hotaru-chan?" Minako asked.

"That's part of what we need to discuss" Haruka said as they joined everyone on the porch. Quickly, she filled everyone in on Hisoka and what happened in the locker room.

"Hisoka still hasn't woken up, so we took her back to our house, and Hotaru is watching over her. She'll contact us if she wakes up."

"More senshi?" Minako asked. She'd figured something like that from the paper, but to have it confirmed just made her heart fall. She had a sinking suspicion they would indeed have to fight.

"Two, it seems" Haruka said nodding. She grimaced slightly and rubbed at her leg. "And Turog is frightfully strong."

"But can we trust Hisoka, ah, Sailor Ruatma?" Makoto asked.

"We can't be sure," Setsuna said shaking her head slightly. "But she fought against Turog."

"The enemy of my enemy is my friend" Haruka added. She looked like she wanted to say more, but Michiru laid a hand on her shoulder.

"I'm not so sure," Minako found herself saying. Normally she didn't consider herself the distrustful type. But this whole situation just had too many unknowns for her to feel entirely comfortable. "It could be a plot to put us off our guard" she continued.

"Why would she do that?" Usagi asked, almost accusingly.

"To gain our trust" Setsuna said, with a sidewise look at Haruka. Apparently the three older senshi had already had a discussion about this.

"She didn't… doesn't know I'm a senshi" Haruka said with a sigh. "Can we sit down? My leg still really hurts"

That comment took almost everyone by surprise. The great Ten'ou Haruka admitting weakness? Still, everyone shifted so there was room on the stairs for her and the other two Outer senshi.

"Are you okay?" Usagi asked, peering worriedly at Haruka.

Haruka gave a half smile and shook her head. "I'll heal" she said, which caused Michiru to frown. "I'm fine, see? It's not that bad. It's stopped bleeding" She pulled up the leg of her pants and unwrapped a bandage to expose a long, but shallow looking gash. Minako was hardly an expert on injuries, but it didn't look like the minor thing Haruka seemed to be making it out to be.

"Turog did that?" Usagi asked, her eyes wide. She stood up suddenly. "I won't let anyone hurt my friends like that! We must find her, and stop her from hurting anyone else"

"Let us talk to Hisoka before we do anything" Michiru said, giving Usagi an indulgent smile. "We may not know if we can trust her or not, but she seemed to know this Turog"

"How long has she been unconscious?" asked Ami, who'd been paging through one of her books.

"Since the whole incident" Haruka said, recovering her injury. "She didn't even stir when we brought her in the house."

"You will let us know when she wakes up?" Usagi asked.

"Let us deal with this, Princess" Michiru said, helping Haruka up.

"It is our job, after all" Setsuna added.

"No" Usagi, said, surprising everyone, including herself apparently. "We're all senshi right? Why can't we all deal with a problem instead of arguing over who's 'job' it is or whatever?"

"Princess…" Haruka started

"Don't 'Princess' me" Usagi said firmly, standing her ground. "This whole division between Inner and Outer senshi thing is stupid. We work together or not at all. All of us." She put her hand out in front of her. Almost immediately Minako, Makoto, Rei and Ami placed their hands on top of hers. After a long moment, Haruka nodded and placed her hand on top of the growing pile. Michiru followed a second after, and lastly Setsuna who gave Usagi a small nod.

"As you wish Princess" she said, but there was a hint of pride in her tone. Just then, everyone's communicators beeped.

"I think she's waking up!" Hotaru said through the communicator link. "She's shifting around and groaning some. I'm going to henshin, just in case."

"We'll be right there" Haruka said, snapping off her communicator. She looked around at the other girls. "Well, all together then? I can take one more in my car."

"I'll call Mamo-chan, and he can bring the rest of us!" Usagi said cheerfully.

Hisoka briefly wondered if she could fake passing out again. The last thing she wanted was to be sitting on a strange couch, in a strange house, being stared at by ten pairs of eyes, all expressing various emotions ranging from cautious curiosity to outright hostility. And not to mention the two cats, one white, one black, that were sitting on the coffee table looking at her with far too much intelligence for comfort. She'd woken upon this same couch, feeling like she'd been beaten all over. Then, when she'd tried to get away, she'd been threatened at glaive point by a strange girl who, despite her outfit, looked far too young to be a senshi. After she'd promised not to run away, the girl had shown her the bathroom so she could at least clean up a bit. And the girl had brought her tea and rice, which she was still nibbling on. It gave her something to do to ignore the eyes, and the growing silence.

"So you're Chisuu-san" said one of the girls, this one blond, with her long hair pulled up into two buns on her head. She was perched on the arm of one of the chairs, and looked more curious than hostile. The man in the tuxedo standing behind her on the other hand looked more uncomfortable than anything else. Then again, he was the only man in a room full of senshi, so Hisoka could understand why he might be uncomfortable.

Hisoka nodded, and looked around the room. "It seems you have me at a disadvantage. You know who I am, but I don't know who you are."

"I'm Sailor Moon" the girl said, standing up and bowing. There was a long moment of silence before the man stepped forward and bowed as well.

"I am known as Tuxedo Mask"

This seemed to be the cue for everyone else to introduce themselves. Hisoka wished she could make notes. Nine senshi, two cats and one strange male were quite a lot to be hit with all at once, even for her.

"Why are you here?" the one with long black hair - Sailor Mars, if she remembered correctly - asked. Hisoka looked up from eating, her eyes narrowed at the other girl's attitude. There was no need to be so obviously rude. Did these earth senshi have no tact? Still, if she ignored the attitude, it was a fair question.

"My name is Chisuu Hisoka" she said slowly, "I am also Sailor Ruatma, of the Nobirian system. I am searching for the Princess of this system to request permission to continue my mission"

There was a general murmur of reaction. Sailor Moon started to say something but the one with the ponytail, Sailor Jupiter, cut her off.

"Anything you'd say to her, you can say to us."

Hisoka looked around. She wondered if these girls realized how much they were giving away by how they reacted, and how they sat. Before she'd even mentioned it, she was pretty sure that Sailor Moon was at least the leader, if not the Princess herself. It was obvious from how everyone else had arranged themselves, all attention directed towards Sailor Moon, though Hisoka doubted it was a conscious effort. Still, she'd play their game. It was only polite after all. She directed her response to Sailor Moon, mostly ignoring the others.

"Fair enough" she said with a slight smirk. "As I said, I am Sailor Ruatma and I have come here at great speed chasing one known as Turog, a fugitive from my system. I am greatly sorry to have to trouble all of you with what should never have gotten this far. All I am asking is for permission to continue my mission"

"Ah, but what is that mission?" asked one of the girls on the other side of the room, Sailor Neptune, if Hisoka remembered correctly. While the words and tone were polite, she could detect a very strong thread of suspicion in the aqua-haired senshi's demeanor.

Hisoka pursed her lips and tried to decide exactly how much to reveal. They didn't need to know everything obviously. Still, she supposed she should tell them a bit more.

"It's a bit of a complicated story" she said, still addressing just Sailor Moon. She was the one to convince, everyone else would fall in line. She shifted a little to get in a better storytelling position. Even a highly simplified version of this story took some time to tell. "A long time ago, before the Sailor Wars, a great enemy came to our system, causing much destruction." A vast simplification, but it would do. "While in the end the senshi prevailed, it was not before the enemy blew up the planet Turog, reducing what had been a beautiful life-filled planet to little more than a collection of asteroids. The destruction of her planet, the source of her Star Seed drove Sailor Turog completely mad. She fought against the other senshi, and nearly destroyed everything. She was taken down, but her Star Seed reincarnated, and the new Sailor Turog went mad as well. This time, my ancestor as well as some of the other senshi found a way to bind Turog's Star Seed, by entrapping her in one of the asteroids of her former planet. There she slept for ages upon ages, always with my ancestors watching the binding to make sure she was never freed."

"So what happened?" Sailor Moon asked.

Hisoka bowed her head, still watching Sailor Moon through her lashes. This was the person she had to convince, and so far, it seemed to be working. "When Galaxia was pursuing her conquest of the galaxy she wanted all the Star Seeds; whole, broken, it didn't matter, so long as they shone with a senshi's light. The first Star Seed she stole from our system was Turog's, though sadly the rest of us fell not long after. When we were revived, the first thing I noticed was that the asteroid into which Turog had been bound was missing. So I chased it through space, to this world. Sure enough, I discovered that she too has been reborn. It is my duty to stop her."

"How can you?" asked Sailor Uranus. "Last time you transformed it knocked you out for almost four hours."

Hisoka gave the short haired blond a long look. There was something familiar about her. The voice, the hairstyle… Then her brain fit the pieces together and she smiled a very self-satisfied smile. She'd been right. Ten'ou Haruka was indeed hiding an interesting secret; the fact that she was also a Sailor senshi.

"I will manage," she said, though in truth she'd been wondering the same thing. "I'll get my necklace back from her and that won't be a problem." The last thing she wanted was for these girls to get involved in her mess. The whole situation was a lot more complicated than she'd let on, but they didn't need to know that. She was kind of worried about the looks that the other girls shot Sailor Moon at that comment. Sailor Moon looked like she wanted to say something, but Tuxedo Mask put a hand on her shoulder and whispered something in her ear. She didn't look happy, but stepped back.

"We would be happy to help," she said, with a slight sullenness in her tone. Considering the dark looks from some of the other senshi, Hisoka doubted the 'we' was as all-inclusive as Sailor Moon seemed to assume. Still, she didn't seem to notice, so Hisoka pretended not to notice either. She bowed her head respectfully.

"I appreciate the offer," she said, in her most respectful tone. "But this is my mission, and I can not drag others into it." She started to stand up, intending to bid her farewells. Sure, she had little idea of exactly where she was, but she'd manage. Her movement seemed to put everyone on alert however, and once again she found herself looking at the business end of a glaive. "Aren't you a little young to be playing around with that?" she said to cover her flash of fear. Even as she said it she realized it was a mistake.

"I am old enough" Sailor Saturn said darkly. Several of the other senshi also moved to support her, and Hisoka sank back down to the couch.

"Sorry" she said, trying to ignore the blade far too close to her throat. "That was uncalled for. I'm sorry. I'm still worn out" she looked around at the other senshi, hoping to find some support. Fortunately it seemed that curiosity was winning out over suspicion, at least for most everyone. Saturn obviously didn't look happy, and Sailor Jupiter still looked cautious. Then, gray eyes met sea blue, and she nearly recoiled in shock at the seething turmoil of suspicion and anger she saw reflected in Sailor Neptune's eyes. What had she done to garner such ill feeling from this woman she'd never met before?

_I don't trust you_ her look said.

Hisoka narrowed her eyes slightly. _I am not afraid of you_. But she was the first to look away.

Fortunately Sailor Moon chose that moment to place her hand on Saturn's shoulder. Reluctantly, Saturn raised the glaive and stepped back. "She's had a long day. Let's give her a break."

"She can stay here," Sailor Pluto said. That was hardly what Hisoka wanted right now. Staying in some stranger's house, even if said stranger was a senshi, was not in her plan. She needed to get home.

"You all need to get home for school tomorrow" the black cat said. "Artemis and I will watch over Chisuu-san"

"I think I have a sleep shirt that will fit you" Uranus said with an almost friendly smile.

Haruka lay on the bed, wincing as she let Michiru carefully dab her wound with rubbing alcohol. The liquid stung and was freezing cold. "Oi, Michiru, where have you been keeping this stuff, the freezer?" she joked.

"Under the sink, like always" Michiru replied with no humor of her own.

"It was just a joke." Haruka said with a sigh. Ever since she'd insisted that they bring the unconscious Hisoka home with them, Michiru had been unhappy. Haruka wasn't fool enough to think the two things were unconnected.

Michiru glanced up at Haruka and raised an eyebrow. "I know."

Haruka stifled another sigh. "Michiru, I couldn't very well leave her passed out in the locker room." Long experience had taught her that it was best to just cut to the heart of the matter rather than dance around it for hours. Michiru pointedly looked away for a moment, which let Haruka know she had indeed pinpointed the root of her lover's foul mood.

"I didn't say you should." Michiru said, capping the alcohol and putting it on the nightstand.

"And since she was an unknown senshi, who better to guard her than us?"

"I never said anything against that"

Haruka rolled onto her back, her head hitting her pillow with a thump. "What is it then?" she asked, exasperated.

"I don't trust her. Now roll back over, I need to rewrap that." Michiru said mildly.

Haruka rolled over as asked and favored Michiru with a raised eyebrow of her own. "You don't trust her?"

"No" Michiru said as she began wrapping clean gauze around Haruka's leg. "We know nothing about her or where she came from except what she'd told us. Which if you noticed was very little. She's not telling us anything"

"But she at least told us something. And she was looking for us to request permission to do what she's come here to do. Unlike the Starlights." Haruka couldn't keep a tiny bit of bitterness from creeping into her tone. They may have been allies in the end, but nothing could bring Haruka to truly trust any of the Kinmokuian senshi, especially Seiya. The comment did however cause Michiru to smile.

"Fair enough. I just have a feeling…" Michiru shrugged and fastened off the gauze. She stood up and walked over to her dresser and began combing her hair.

"Are you sure you're not just being jealous?" Haruka asked. She sat up and leaned against the headboard, a teasing smirk on her face. "After all, she is a rather attractive young woman."

"Maa?" Michiru said, watching Haruka's reflection in the dresser mirror. "Should I be?" Her tone was light, but there was a sharper, more dangerous edge running though it.

Haruka merely tilted her head to the side and smiled. "Hardly."

"Good"

"Seriously though, give her a chance. Maybe she has reasons for not telling us everything."

Michiru sighed and set down the hairbrush before coming around to her side of the bed. She sat down and smoothed out a nonexistent wrinkle in her nightgown. "Perhaps" she said, which Haruka was probably the most concession she was going to get.

'It's been a long day" Haruka said, standing up just long enough to flip back the covers and slip under them. "Can we worry about trusting or not trusting in the morning?"

"Hai, hai" Michiru said with an indulgent smile as she slipped under the covers as well.


	3. Questions, but no easy answers

**Author's Note**: I realize it's taken forever for me to post this chapter. I promise. I have not given up on this fic. I still have a story to tell, and I will finish it. Eventually. Unfortunately I write very slowly. When I posted the first chapter, I was already two-thirds of the way done with chapter two, which is the only reason two got posted so quickly. And I had a couple of other little projects rear their heads and demand to be written * coughMorning RoutinecoughNightmares *. Please bear with me, and continue reading. Next chapter will have a bit more action, and maybe a few answers.

**Disclaimer**: I do not own Sailor Moon or any of it's associated characters. The only characters I can lay any claim to are Sailor Turog and Chisuu Hisoka/Sailor Ruatma, and even then their 'senshi-ness' is not my own idea.

Sailor Venus shifted anxiously as she waited for Mercury to finish typing on her computer. It had been almost two weeks since they all had met Hisoka and found out about Turog and so far they were no closer to either reclaiming Hisoka's henshin necklace or stopping Turog's random attacks on civilians. Thus, they were patrolling. Venus was rather proud of herself for coming up with the suggestion that they all split into groups so that they could cover more ground. She was also very glad that she'd partnered herself with Mercury. The water senshi's mini-computer was proving very useful in tracking Turog.

"This way, I think she's heading for the park!" Mercury said, setting off in the indicated direction at a run.

"Finally!" Venus said as she followed. The park wasn't that far, but both girls were breathing heavily by the time they reached it. Mercury stopped and typed a few more figures into the computer.

"I think she might…" Whatever Mercury had been about to say was cut off by a shriek. Without waiting to see if Mercury was following her, Venus ran towards the sound. Sure enough, she found Turog in a clearing, standing over a cowering young man.

"Leave him alone!" she shouted, drawing Turog's attention, just as Mercury joined her at the clearing's edge.

"Well, well, well, what have we here?" Turog said, with a sardonic smile. "Two little girls come to play with me?"

"We're not little girls! Never one to allow innocents to be harmed, I am Sailor Venus! In the name of the goddess of love, I will punish you!"

"Likewise, I am Sailor Mercury!"

Turog threw her head back and laughed. "Sailor senshi? How fascinating. Maybe this planet will be more interesting than I thought."

Venus shuddered slightly at Turog's carefree tone. Hisoka had been right. There was nothing sane about that laughter. While none of their previous enemies had been completely normal per se, none had been quite as crazy as this girl seemed. As Turog stopped laughing and settled into a fighting stance, something flashed with reflected light.

"The necklace!" Mercury said, noticing the flash. Venus saw it too; around Turog's left wrist was the necklace Hisoka had described.

"Ah, so you're the little secret-keeper's hounds then?" Turog said holding up her wrist so the pendant swung and twisted in the air. "She sent you looking for this?"

"We're no one's 'hounds'" Venus said, a bit worried by the words. True no one had really sent them, but if Hisoka hadn't had the necklace taken in this first place, would they really be doing this? No, they would. They were Sailor senshi and Turog was attacking innocent people. They couldn't just stand and do nothing.

"Venus Love and Beauty Shock!" she yelled, letting loose with her most powerful attack. It threw Turog back, plowing up the grass and soil.

"That all you got?" Turog, snarled as she picked herself up. "Remnant Shards!" Crescents of dully glowing red energy sped towards Venus and Mercury. They both leapt out of the way, and gasped as the attack impacted a tree behind where they'd been standing. There was an explosion of splinters and when the dust settled, only a charred stump of the tree remained.

"She is strong!" Mercury gasped. Venus had to agree; for an attack to destroy a large tree like that? What would have happened if they hadn't dodged?

"Mercury!" She said, thinking quickly. "We need cover!"

"Right!" Mercury said, picking up on what she'd been thinking. "Shabon Spray!"

The whole area was immediately covered in dense fog. Fortunately, Venus could still see clearly, though from the growl of frustration, it was obvious that Turog couldn't. "Venus Love Me Chain!" she cried, aiming the end of the golden heart chain for Turog's wrist. It worked just as she'd hoped, breaking the chain of the necklace, sending it slithering to the ground.

Turog dropped to her knees, feeling around on the ground. Before her fingers touched it, Mercury ran in and grabbed it up. "Got it!" she shouted, and leapt away before Turog could counterattack.

"Rage Talons!" Turog shouted as the fog began to clear.

"Sparkling Wide Pressure!" Turog's attack was engulfed in electricity and dissipated as Sailor Jupiter and Sailor Mars ran in.

"Four against one? That's hardly fair" Turog said, looking at the new arrivals. She gave a short laugh and leapt upward, disappearing in a cloud of flower petals.

Venus watched her disappear, secretly relieved that Turog had chosen to retreat rather than continue fighting. Best not to think too much about it though. They had gotten the necklace back, and they had kept Turog from harming an innocent man. But why should they have had to? Hisoka had said Turog was from her system. Shouldn't those senshi have dealt with their own rouge, not allowed her to escape and threaten other planets? And shouldn't Hisoka have gone after her own necklace? Haruka said she'd seen Hisoka transform without the necklace. Why were they risking their own lives?

"Venus?" Mars asked, and Venus shook herself, pushing her doubts down. No. None of that mattered. They were senshi, and Hisoka was a senshi, and they would all deal with this problem. There was no time for doubts.

"I'm fine" she said, smiling at her friends. "Let's find Usagi and head home. I don't think she'll be threatening anyone else tonight."

* * *

Hisoka stood outside the jewelry store, trying to decide if it was worth going in. She'd been to three others this afternoon, all without success. They either didn't do custom work or wanted far more money that she was willing to pay. Well, best to try. She pushed the door open and walked in.

It took a moment for her eyes to adjust to the dimmer light, but as soon as they did she crossed to the counter.

"Excuse me," she said to the woman behind the counter. "I was wondering if you do commission pieces"

The woman looked up from putting a bracelet back into the display case. "Yes, we do" she said with a raised eyebrow.

Hisoka unfolded the scrap of paper she'd been holding and laid it on the counter. On the paper was a detailed diagram of a ring. The band was two twining flower stems, and two different flowers bracketed a single stone. "I'd like to commission this" she said, sliding the paper across the counter.

The woman picked up the paper and looked at it critically. That was a good sign. While she was waiting for a response, the door opened again, this time letting in two girls, one with wavy blond hair that she didn't recognize, and one odango-headed blond who she did. Her hand reflexively went to her throat, caressing her retuned necklace. She'd found it left on her school desk one morning, with no note, but she had little doubt that Sailor Moon or one of her senshi had recovered it. "Usagi-san!" she said, drawing both girls' attention.

"Hisoka-san!" Usagi said brightly, dragging the other girl with her over to the counter. "This is my friend Osaka Naru, Naru-chan, this is Chisuu Hisoka"

Hisoka bowed politely to the other girl who returned the bow. "A pleasure to meet you"

"We can make this" the woman said, putting down the paper. Usagi and Naru craned their necks to look at it, but Hisoka's attention was on the woman, "Though the price would be something out of the reach of a typical schoolgirl."

Hisoka stifled a sigh. It was a fair comment. "I realize that ma'am"

"Did you draw this?" Usagi asked, looking up. Hisoka nodded. "Wow, you're really good! And you want Naru-chan's mom to make it?"

The woman, who Hisoka realized did bare a strong resemblance to the other girl, gave Usagi an indulgent smile. "Perhaps. It is a very interesting design. What sort of stone were you interested in having set in it?"

The question was directed to Hisoka, who pulled a small velvet bag out of her pocket. "This one" she said, tipping the bag carefully on the counter so a small emerald-cut purple stone tumbled out.

"Ah" the woman said. "Well if you're providing the stone, that's a bit different." She wrote something down on a piece of paper and passed it to Hisoka who tucked the stone back into its pouch before picking up the folded paper. She flipped the paper open to see the quoted figure. It was much more reasonable than the other prices she'd been given.

"That will be acceptable. I assume you want some up front?" She said, pocketing the stone and pulling out her wallet.

A flash of surprise crossed the woman's face making Hisoka regret she hadn't tried to bargain down any. "Ah, I believe twenty percent would be appropriate"

It took a few more moment and the application of Hisoka's credit card to finish the business transaction. Hisoka smiled as she folded the receipt she'd been given and slipped it into her pocket.

"It's been a pleasure doing business with you" she said, bowing to the woman, who returned the bow. That taken care of, Hisoka focused her attention on Usagi. She hadn't thanked that girl for the return of her necklace yet. "Usagi-san, can I trouble you for a bit?" she asked.

"Sure!" Usagi said brightly. "I was just saying goodbye to Naru-chan. Here or…"

"I was actually thinking we could walk somewhere. Maybe get an ice cream or something?" She didn't miss how Usagi's eyes lit up at the mention of ice cream.

"That would be great! But, um, I'm kinda low on money right now"

Hisoka laughed and pushed the door open for the younger girl. "My treat then. Consider it repayment"

"For what?" Hisoka just touched her necklace lightly and raised an eyebrow. Usagi smiled in return and shrugged. "I didn't have anything to do with that"

"Your friends did then. It's all the same."

Thankfully, Usagi let the subject drop and they talked of school and other minor things until they reached the ice cream parlor. The small shop wasn't as full as Hisoka would have expected for afternoon on a school day, but that just meant it was easier for her and Usagi to find a booth away from everyone else. She ordered a root beer float for herself, and something called a 'Super Deluxe Banana Split' for Usagi.

"Can I ask you something?" Usagi asked as they waited for their order.

"Of course." Hisoka said, slightly puzzled.

"Well, you just commissioned that ring, and you're treating me to ice cream and everything… But you're still in school, how'd you get so much money?" Usagi flushed and looked down at her hands. "I'm sorry, I'm being rude aren't I?"

Hisoka smothered a laugh at the younger girl's blunt honesty. While she certainly wasn't princess material right now, it was easy to see how she'd grow into a wonderful leader some day. "It's a fair question." Hisoka said, temporizing. While she hadn't acquired the money illegally per se, at least as far as she'd been able to tell she wasn't sure that Usagi wouldn't still think it was wrong. She took a deep breath. "When I got here a few months ago I sold some… items I'd brought with me for that purpose. Got me enough money to rent a tiny apartment and enroll in school and such. But things turned out to be a bit more expensive than I'd anticipated, so I started looking for some money to tap into. I'd planned to find some criminal's slush fund or something and clean it out." As she explained she watched Usagi's reaction carefully.

"You can do that? Without someone finding out?" The younger girl asked, with more curiosity than disapproval. That was good.

"I'm very good with computers." Hisoka said. "Anyway, I discovered a bank account that seems to have essentially materialized overnight with a large sum of money in it. It was attached to someone named Sanjouin Masato, who like the account seemed to have appeared out of thin air one day, and then disappeared a few weeks later. What?"

At the mention of the account holder's name Usagi's eyes had gotten very wide and she'd gone a bit pale. "San…jouin… Ma…sa…to…?" she stammered, her voice catching.

"Something wrong?" Hisoka asked. Had she inadvertently tapped into the account of some lost relative or something? She couldn't tell because Usagi had buried her face in her hands and was making very strange sputtering noises. "I can stop using it if you want, I didn't mean to…"

Her words were cut off as Usagi exploded into laughter. Hisoka recoiled slightly at the unexpected reaction. It didn't help that the younger girl did not have a quiet laugh. People were staring, which made Hisoka distinctly uncomfortable.

"You're… paying…" Usagi gasped between bouts of laughter. "Naru's mother… With Nephrite's money…" She dissolved into gales of laughter, pounding on the table as she tried to breathe between laughing.

Hisoka was confused. The account belonged to Sanjouin Masato not Nephrite. She couldn't see what was so funny. "Usagi-san, please calm down, people are staring." Her words had little effect, but she was saved by the arrival of her order. The waitress slid the root beer float over to her and plunked a huge plate of ice cream in front of the laughing Usagi. Hisoka's eyes widened as she saw how large the banana split was. "Are you really going to eat all that?"

The ice cream and Hisoka's question managed to still Usagi's laughter, "Yep!" she said brightly, and began digging into the huge sundae. Between bites she explained; "Nephrite was one of the first enemies we fought. He used the name Sanjouin Masato to establish a cover identity."

Hisoka nodded as she sipped her float. That was good. The money had been created by evil forces, it was only fair that she turned it to her more noble ones. "So why is it particularly funny that I used some of it to commission the ring?" she asked.

"Because Naru-chan fell in love with Masato-kun. He kinda did with her too I think. Nephrite was even all willing to give up evil for her, but he was killed. And since it's Naru-chan's mother who owns the shop, it's just kinda… funny I guess."

Hisoka smiled slightly. She could see the irony in the situation. "Well, that makes me feel better about using it then."

"Yea, and since spending money at the shop helps Naru-chan's family, I'm sure Nephrite would approve. He'd want the money to go to good use."

Hisoka was amused by Usagi's unwavering optimism. She seemed like such a sweet girl, it was a shame to turn the conversation to more serious topics. But despite any appearance to the contrary, she did have a mission here, and she couldn't delay fulfilling it much longer. "Usagi-san, I have something important to ask you," she said, dropping her voice so they wouldn't be overheard. The younger girl leaned forward, ice cream seemingly forgotten for the moment. Hisoka continued "I mentioned I'm here to find and…ah, stop Turog right?" She waited for Usagi's nod of comprehension before moving on. "You and your senshi have all been too kind the past few weeks what with helping me get my henshin necklace back and helping stop Turog's attacks on people,"

"Of course! We're happy to help!"

Hisoka doubted that. Not that Usagi, or rather Sailor Moon was happy to help, but Hisoka was no fool. She'd seen the looks of suspicion and distrust on some of the other girls' faces. No, not everyone was happy to help. They all would do as their princess asked, with little complaint. However, that wasn't what she wanted. "Thank you" she said, shaking her head slightly as she stared at the table. There was a slight discolored stain right under her glass, and she traced it with her finger. "But I don't want you, or your senshi involved." She looked up into Usagi's too-intense blue eyes and felt her resolve waver. This girl was just so honest, so good and truthful about wanting to help. It made Hisoka slightly nervous. Still, she drew a steadying breath and went on. "Turog is my responsibility. I will handle it. You don't need to trouble yourselves any more."

"It's not trouble," Usagi said, shaking her head violently. "You don't have to fight alone!"

She didn't get it. With a sigh Hisoka looked down at the table again, unable to meet Usagi's gaze. "This isn't your fight."

"We've been in danger before. We're _senshi_, we can handle ourselves."

"Turog is my responsibility. I will not let you put yourself or your senshi in harms way like this." She stood up abruptly and picked up her bag. "Thank you for your permission to hunt her down. Please do not interfere further." With that she walked to the front counter, paid for the float and sundae and left the parlor without a backward glance.

* * *

Haruka pushed open the door to the roof wincing a little as the hinges groaned, the sound echoing down the stairwell. The last thing she wanted was for some administrator to hear and come looking for the source of the sound. She was supposed to be in chemistry class right now after all, not up on the roof looking for a fellow delinquent. She slipped out around the door and held it so it closed as quietly as possible behind her. There didn't seem to be anyone else on the roof. Maybe she wasn't up here after all. Haruka turned to go back inside when she heard a sound. She paused and listened. Sure enough the wind carried the sound of someone whispering.

"…my fault, my responsibility…"

Haruka looked up and sure enough caught a glimpse of a black braid of hair on top of the small building that housed the roof access. "Hisoka-san? It's Haruka." Without waiting for a response she clambered up the access ladder to join the other girl.

Hisoka didn't look like she particularly wanted the company, but she scooted over so there was room for Haruka to sit as well. "I hope you're not here to tell me I need to go back to class. There's only so much boredom I can stand."

Haruka let out a short laugh. "Hardly. I know what you mean. Shiro-senshi could put anyone to sleep." She gazed out over the roof. From here you could see almost the whole district. It was nice up here. The height insulated them from the noise of the school and city below, even if the wind did carry with it a hint of the coming autumn's chill.

"I know all of it already, at least the stuff I actually need to know." Hisoka said with a sigh. "And it's not like I'll actually need to pass the class."

"No?" Haruka asked, raising an eyebrow.

Hisoka shook her head. "I just worked my way in as a student to find you all. I'd leave now, but that'd be more trouble than it's worth. It would raise too many questions." She leaned back, staring up at the clouds.

"Why did you?" Haruka asked, leaning back as well.

Hisoka shrugged. "It would be rude to just drop in and start throwing power around without at least warning those responsible for this rock."

"But you don't want help?" It was somewhere between a statement and a question.

"No"

"Why not?"

Hisoka sighed and dropped back so she was lying down, staring up at the sky. "Because this is my problem, not yours"

Haruka got the distinct impression the other girl was getting tired of explaining herself. Which, if Usagi had been getting as insistent as she usually did about such things, was a good possibility. She understood how the girl felt. Glancing at her, Haruka saw a very familiar look of self confidence touched with arrogance. Hisoka obviously believed that she alone could handle Turog. It was a familiar arrogance, and Haruka had to smother a smile. She knew the look because she'd worn it herself more than once, and seen it on the other Outer senshi as well. She shrugged and let a half smile slip out. "If you say so," she said, lying down as well. It really was quite peaceful on the roof, distance muffling the city noises.

"As far as I'm concerned, officially, you've announced your intentions, and as long as you follow through, and nothing come to harm my princess, have at." Which wasn't quite true. As an invader from outside the system, Turog was technically the Outer senshis' problem, but since Hisoka seemed so insistent, she didn't feel like pointing that out.

"Officially?" Hisoka had propped herself up on one elbow to get a better look at Haruka's expression.

She shrugged, an awkward movement when lying down. "Officially. Unofficially, I would mention that experience has taught me that Usagi-chan is going to help whether you like it or not, and you might want to accept the help graciously."

Hisoka snorted and flopped back down. They both lay there, silence stretching between them for several minutes. Then the sound of the bell ringing for class change floated up from below. "We should probably get back to class" Hisoka commented, not moving.

"Michiru will kill me if she finds out I've skipped class" Haruka agreed, also not moving, though it was true. While she would have been more than happy to quit school and concentrate on racing, Michiru had insisted that they both finish.

"Kaiou-san doesn't like me." The statement, while true, was said with such finality that Haruka sat up and looked over at the other girl.

"No, she just… doesn't quite trust you" Haruka wasn't sure why she felt the need to deny Hisoka's statement. Granted Michiru hadn't been anything other than polite, but it a cold politeness.

Hisoka shook her head. "No, she doesn't like me, personally." She sighed and sat up. "I don't mind really, I just wish I knew why."

Haruka stared up at the sky and watched the clouds float by for a long moment. She knew why, but she wasn't sure she could explain it. After all, it hadn't been Hisoka's fault she'd been injured, even if Michiru didn't see it that way. Michiru's dislike of Hisoka bothered Haruka, probably more than it had right to. Why should it matter to her if the two of them got along? But it did. Maybe it was because she respected Hisoka. Maybe it was because she was starting to have the sneaking suspicion Hisoka could be an actual friend. That thought startled her slightly. Since accepting her duty as a senshi, Haruka hadn't made a whole lot of friends. To be fair she hadn't made any except for the other senshi. She'd been too focused, but in the past six months she'd started noticing the lack. It would be nice to have a friend who hadn't been through the same things over the past three years or so. And since Hisoka was a senshi herself, and knew Haruka was one as well, there wouldn't be the need for secrecy.

"You and Kaiou-san are very close"

The comment was unexpected enough to pull Haruka up into a sitting position. While neither she nor Michiru went out of their way to deny their relationship, they were certainly more than circumspect about it. And, in fact, barring one tiny incident with a particularly insistent classmate of Michiru's it had never come up. Haruka was happy to let people assume or not as they wished. It didn't bother her, it didn't appear to bother Michiru, and that was all that really mattered. But this, this was a direct question.

"Ah, well, yes." Haruka said, a bit too quickly. She could feel her cheeks coloring slightly and mentally kicked herself. What was it about relationship talk that always made her so embarrassed?

Fortunately, Hisoka seemed blind to Haruka's sudden discomfort. She nodded slightly. "Thought so. Can I ask you a question?"

Considering she'd already asked several questions, Haruka was amused that she was asking permission. But she nodded; curious as to what kind of question required permission to ask.

There was a long pause, and Haruka was about to prompt the other girl when Hisoka took a deep breath and asked "Which comes first; love or duty?"

It was not the question Haruka had expected. When she'd first become a senshi, she would have said duty with no hesitation. She'd believed nothing was more important than her mission. But meeting Usagi and the others, becoming friends with them, fighting alongside them, had taught her that duty didn't have to mean giving up everything else. But she had a feeling that wasn't quite what Hisoka was asking about. "I don't know," she said finally, with a shrug. "I know duty _should_ be the answer, but," she flashed the other girl a sardonic smile "Things are rarely that simple."

Hisoka continued to stare off into space, her expression a mask of worry and frustration. "What if… What if love impairs duty?"

Not an easy question. Haruka's mouth twitched and she shot the other girl a sharp glance. How much did she know, and how much was she guessing at? Hisoka caught her look and smiled slightly. "I'm sorry," she said with a slight smile. "That was rude, wasn't it? Forget I asked." Before Haruka could formulate a reply, she'd swung over the edge and dropped onto the roof proper. "Thank you for talking with me. It's been… interesting." She said as she slipped back into the building, the sound of the heavy door slamming shut adding punctuation.


End file.
